Doubtful Sound, 1

There was never any doubt we'd do Doubtful Sound on this New Zealand visit. We drove by Manipouri in 2009, took note of it all, but figured we'd be back. We'd just done the Milford Tramp and seen Milford Sound. But now, finally, we're back, and the only question was whether we'd do the day cruise of New Zealand's largest accessible fiord or the over-night cruise. We opted for the latter, with Real Journeys, the largest of the tour/cruise firms operating in Fiordland. Basically, you ride a big catamaran across Lake Manipouri, transfer to a bus, ride it across Wilmot Pass, then settle into a day and night on the Fiordland Navigator. You're in the company of 50-60 other people, many of them splurging like us, but the cruise is worth every cent (particularly with various discounts, etc.). The scenery is incredible, the nature stuff impressive, the captain and crew great, the food very good (I really over-did the greenies), the special experiences--sunset and sunrise, spending the night anchored in a secluded cove, pulling into another and shutting down all the engines and motors to hear what the fiord is really like, venturing out into the Tasman Sea, etc.--were very special indeed. I'll do a couple posts and hope they can convey some of what we experienced.

Over the pass now, our first glimpse of Doubtful Sound, a small arm of it, that is 

The first of scores of waterfalls, big and small, high and low

Fiordland Navigator

The Cap'n

Vicki and I spent a good bit of time on the bridge--less wind, fewer sand-flies,
lots of  nautical and other information from the Cap'n

The Plan

Kayak fun

Oyster catcher

NZ pigeons

Weka; day-time version of Kiwi

Swimming fun (not us)

Sparkling waters

Out beyond the fiord for an hour's cruise around its mouth and a sense of what
the Tasman Sea is like

Australia...1,100 miles out that way

Sails set

Skerries all around